Water separating device



`March 2, 1937'.

WATER SEPARATING- DEVICE Filed May 3, 1935 INVENTOR RUSSELL A. HETZER R. A. HETZER 2,072,206-

v ing Water from a solvent containing chlorine. Water flOm the SOlVeIlil. SOlVelS COHtailing 5 provide an improved apparatus for removing Which floats upon the surface of the solvent will Patented Mar. 2, 1937l i i i UNITED STATES PATENT lOFFIIEI WATER 'SEPARATING DEVICE Russell A. Hetzer, Madeira, Ohio, assignor to The American Laundry Machinery Company, Norwood, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application May 3, 1935, Serial No. 19,689

2 Claims. (Cl. 210-51) My invention relates to an apparatus for reoperation. A suitable vent IU to` the atmosphere moving an electrically conductive liquid from is also provided. a liquid having a greater specic gravity. More In accordance with my invention I have proparticularly it relates to apparatus for removvided an improved apparatus for removing the In dry cleaning systems in which 9, volatile :chlorine-Which are utilized in dry cleaning proci solvent is utilized as the cleaning agenty it is esses, such as carbon tetrachloride, trichlorthe practice after the Washing operation to renoethylene DerChlOletllylene and ethylene diChlO- vate the solvent to remove the dirt and grease Tide, 'liBNe a greater SDCC'C gravity than Watl 1o so that it may be reutiiized in the treating 'and are immiscible therewith and, consequently,

process. During the Washing operation, moisany Water which is present in the solvent stratiu ture in the fabric and from the atmosphere bees and forms a surface laver. There willy of comes entrained in the Suivent and (iu-fing the course be some hydrochloric acid dissolved in the renovating process is vaporized and condensed. Water Which iS fOYmeCl by the reaCtiOn 0f Water Irrespective of the solvent which is employed as and the SOlVeill'f, and this iS DaTiClllaily true With the detergent, it is desirable to remove the TGSPGC i0 the Water WlliCh iS DIGSGH irl SOlLge o lwater from the solvent before reutilizing it in tank 5 because ille Water WlliCh iS extracted the Cleaning operation This is paftiouioriy true from the fabric and the atmosphere reacts With when `a solvent containing chlorine is employed, the Chlorine COmDOUIld i0 the greatest eXtent 2 such as carbon tetrachloride, because carbon When the VaDOYS are being @Ondensed t0 the tetrachloride reacts With Water to form hydroliquid Stdie- There Will also be a Small amount chloric acid which attacks and corrodes certain 0f Water soluble metallic salts present which are meta] parts 0f the apparatus, t formed by the reaction of hydrochloric acid and It is therefore en object of my invention to the metal parts of the condenser. The Water Water from a solvent or detergent having a diftherefore be electrically CODdUCtiVG- ferent specific gravity than Water. Another ob As illustrated in the drawing, an insulated tube ject of my invention is to provide an improved is Supported inside of the Storage tank 5 lol apparatus by means of which s surfaoe'iayer of means'of a bracket l2. The insulated tube may im Water may be removed from d solvent oontoin be formed of glass, porcelain or a suitable molded ing chlorine. A further object of my invention COmIJUStiOIl, Such as a DheYlOliC Condensation is to provide an improved apparatus for remov- Product ol a molded Composition in Which a ing Water and any hydrochloric seid which is phenolic condensation product is utilized as the present from a solvent containing chlorine durlolllder- Mounted inside of the insulating 'Cube ing the renovating process Il is a pair of contacts or electrodes i3 and lli. t

My invention will be better understood by ref The contacts or electrodes may be formed of any 55 eienoe to the accompanying drawing in Whoh suitable conductive substance. I prefer, howfthe single ligure is a Conventional illustration ever, to utilize carbon contacts or electrodes of a solvent renovating system, snowing my imwhich do not react with hydrochloric acid. The 40 proved means for removing Water from the contacts may be aflixed to the insulators by Solventl means of a conductive cement or if a molded The solvent renovating system illustrated in the Composition ls employed they may loo formed drawing is similar to that disclosed in my C0pend in place during the molding operation. Contact ing appueotion Sen No. 11,175 filed on Moron 14, d3 is connected to the line L2 by means of `con- 1935and comprises on evaporator i Whion may be ductor l3a and contact I4 is connected to line heated by means of steam coils 2, a condenser Ll by means of Conductor i5: Solenoid iii and 45 3 provided with Cooling Coils 4, 'and a Storage conductor il. The solenoid I6 controls the. tank 5. During the operation of the system used operation of VolVe i8 Whloh ln tum Controls solvent from the treating vessel is passed to the the floW 0f liquid in a Conduit I9, 011e end 0f stili through the Conduit a Where it is eyapowhich is connected to storage tank 5 at such a rated, The distilled vapors are passed t0 the point that the OIllCe 0f the COl'lduit iS ll a. hOlcondenser 3 through conduit l' and the conden- ZODtal plane With the CODaCS, 01 at a Slightly sate flows through the conduit 3 to the storage higher plane, and the other end of which tertank 5 from whence the solvent may be drawn minates in a vessel 2|] which is provided with through the conduit 9 for reuse in the treating conduits 2| and 22 which are controlled by valves tbl 23 and 24, respectively. As illustrated in the drawing, the conduit I9 which leads into the storage tank and the tube II are positioned at such a point that the water and hydrochloric acid which floats on the surface of the solvent may ilow through the conduit I9 when the solvent reaches or falls to a predetermined level in the storage tank, but the solvent is prevented from owing through the conduit.

The operation of my improved apparatus will now be apparent. During the condensation process when the solvent reaches such a level that the water and any hydrochloric acid which is present forms a conductor between contacts I3 and I4, a current will be established from line LI through conductor Il, solenoid I, conductor I5, contacts Iii and I3 and conductor Ia to line L2. Solenoid I6 will thus be energized, valve I8 will open, and the water floating on the surface of the solvent will flow into vessel 2B through conduit I9. When solvent in storage tank rises above contacts I3 and III, however, the current is broken because the solvent is not electrically conductive. As the level of liquid in the vessel falls, however, as when solvent is being drained from the tank, the water containing hydrochloric acid and metallic salts will again come in contact with the contacts or electrodes, a circuit will be established, and water will again flow from the tank.

The liquid flowing to the vessel 22B will be composed principally of water. A small amount of solvent, however, will be present which settles at the bottom of the vessel and may be removed at desired intervals through the conduit 22, or, if desired, the water may be drawn from the vessel through the conduit 2i when the liquid in the vessel attains the desired level.

While I have disclosed my invention as being applied to the removal of water from the storage tank of a renovating system, it will be understood that I do not desire to limit myself in this respect as my improved apparatus may be applied to any collecting receptacle forming part of or associated with a dry cleaning system or to storage tanks for the solvent. For instance, my apparatus may be applied to the sump tank or collecting vessel disclosed in my copending application to which reference has been made.

It will also be understood that my improved apparatus may be utilized for removing water from solvents having a lower specific gravity than water, such as benzine, in which case water soluble salts, acids or bases may be added, if necessary, to render the water conductive. Ordinary water of course contains sufcient salts in solution to render it conductive and when the term water is utilized in the claims it will be understood that such water contains suicient salts, acids or bases to render it conductive.

From the foregoing specification it will be apparent that I have provided an improved apparatus by means of which water may be effectively and economically removed from solvents from which it straties.

It will also be apparent that my improved apparatus may be employed without interrupting the treating operation of the fabric or the renovation of the solvent and that the water may be effectively removed without the use of traps or other complicated appurtenances.

To those skilled in the art many modifications of and widely different embodiments and applications of my invention will suggest themselves without departing from the spirit and;I scope thereof. My disclosure and the description are purely illustrative and are not in any sense limiting.

What I claim is:

1. An apparatus for separating water from solvents having a greater specific gravity than water and from which the water will stratiy comprising a vessel for holding the liquids in superimposed relationship, means for supplying solvent containing water to said vessel and means for draining solvent from the vessel including a vertical conduit extending from a position above the normal level of the liquid in the vessel to a point adjacent the bottom of the vessel and a horizontally extending conduit connected to the vertical conduit at a point a short distance above its lower orice, a pair of spaced electrodes connected to a source of current, said electrodes being located a substantial distance above the bottom of the receptacle, whereby an electric circuit is -f established when the water rises or falls to such a position that it makes contact with the electrodes, a conduit leading from the vessel, the orice of which is positioned in substantially the same horizontal plane as the electrodes, a valve for said conduit, and means responsive to the flow of current in said circuit for opening said valve whereby Water may be drained from the surface of said solvent.

2. An apparatus for separating water from solvents having a greater specic gravity than water and from which the water straties, comprising a vessel for holding the liquids in superimposed relationship, means for supplying solvent containing water to said vessel whereby the level of the solvent and superimposed layer of water in the vessel will rise, means for draining solvent free from water from the vessel whereby the level of the solvent and the superimposed layer of water will fall in the vessel, a pair of spaced electrodes connected to a source of current, said electrodes being located a substantial distance above the bottom of the receptacle whereby an electrical circuit is established when the water rises or falls to such a position that it makes contact with the electrodes, a conduit leading from the vessel, the orince of which is positioned in substantially the same horizontal plane as the electrodes, a valve for said conduit, and means responsive to the flow of current in said circuit for opening said valve whereby water may be drained from the surface of said solvent.

RUSSELL A. HETZER. 

